talk about what's cooking in chefs, kitchens, and food

February 04, 2019

Hearing that Sicilian miller Filippo Drago and his buddy Renato Flaborea were hanging out at at New York's Gustiamo, I decided to head down to hear their take on ancient grains. They have been traveling America's Eastern seaboard on an education tour. Well, they educated me with a wonderful Pane Nero di Castelvetrano made with various ferments. I'm not sure I will ever get an A in replicating it at home but I sure was inspired to try.

March 06, 2018

Donald Trump wants to "make America great again." Okay, while brilliant at cheesy cheerleads and insults, his primary gift seems to be earning the title as this nation's worst president. Ever! Yes, he's a sorry mess of a human being. And as a leader, he's a pathetic masquerade. But as predictable as he's become for lying, his actions speak one truth; returning us to a particular aspect of our past even if not all that glorious. How? His embrace of McDonald's points to something connected to our history. All those gooey buns he chews with relish reflect an actuality about years foregone, namely the love for white bread among "the rich."

Back in 1800s America, if you had money, your bread preference was the color of milk and soft as cream. Brown bread was for the rest of us. Okay, now let's jump forward to the present. Sure, we have a thin-skinned, bone-headed blowhard for president. But we are also seeing an imaginative (and chewy) Trump-alternative to "making America great again." Wouldn't you know but it's foodies that lead the way. Sorta. I'm talking about the baking world's embrace of home-grown American flours and grains. Along with that interest has come a revival of interest in bread popular here "way back when." Namely, baking with grains used by many of our ancestors, whether living in crowded urban hovels or on endless fabled plains.

The resurgence of these grains has included an interest in "bolted flour," a process that once allowed the plebeians (folks like me and many of youse!) to enjoy a whiter bread by sifting out "the bran" (but leaving "the germ) to make "whitish flour." The result is it allows those of us who enjoy lighter bread to indulge without losing an ounce of key nutritional qualities.

That's a long way of sharing my latest efforts to give "bolted" a try. Here's what I discovered quickly; adapting these grains and flours for home-baking isn't always easy. Which goes back to principles that make Trump's presence in the White House instructive. How? Because just believing that something is true because it's in your mind will get you in a heap of trouble. Any experienced baker loses such idiotic assumptions very quickly.

First, you have to understand what you're working with - whether it's your political team or your flour. Then it's understanding the laws under which you're operating - whether they are constitutional or about the ambient conditions in which you're baking. And then you have to be able to adapt to whatever arises, whether it's operating with panache regardless if the FBI is about to pounce or your bolted flour isn't so easy to translate to your dough.

Hey, whoever promised it would be easy? Nobody. And it ain't (as someone seems to be learning by the minute or Tweet). But when you get it right, it's heaven. And if you don't get it right (and pull a Drumph!), well, hopefully, it won't buy you a ticket to Sing Sing. For the rest of us, keep trying. Here's a loaf of mine that turned out way better than anything ever served at Mar a Lago.

September 28, 2017

After three weeks of travel, I returned home to an empty fridge and no bread. Time for the lazy baker to bake! I opted to try the Maiorca flour, again. This time, I yeasted it, as my sourdough needed a refresh before using. I used a simple cold-water-and-salt-autolyse. I also went for a short bulk and final fermentation. It made for a good tasting loaf even with commercial yeast. Here are some shots of crumb and crust.

September 04, 2017

My brother in California uses some nice from flours Giustos. And while he lacks any rye or other desired grains, I did find a bag of teff! That led me to a Teff formula from Birdsong. The trick to Teff usage is pre-gelatinization followed by adding starter. Remember to use rice flour and or rye, as teff is sticky on bannetons.

May 19, 2017

Testing an ancient "maiorca" flour for Gustiamo, its extensible quality suggested it would be great for pizza. Inspired by Alessandro Scuderi's viral pizza video (that feature weaker protein ancient grain flours) I decided to give his recipe a try. Alessandro uses a flour branded as Bonta Scicula, which roughly translates to "Sicilian goodness." Actually, it includes maiorca in this mix. But it also includes elements like spelt and emmer. I guessed "00" Flour, which works for pastries, might work well here. Below is a rushed version made on cast iron. The dough is light and airy. But it's not chewy, as with a pizza dough using All Purpose flour.

May 11, 2017

My friends at Gustiamo asked if I would test some new Sicilian flour. Heading up to the Bronx to meet their crew, I got a chance to meet a hero of mine, Rick Easton! Not just that - we actually got to enjoy one of Rick's freshly baked focaccias, a treat for which he'd used this flour from Sicily. Called "maiorca, it's primarily used in pastry but has an extensible feel and high absorption rate. Later trying it, I found the acidity level of the sourdough impeded the rising, using yeast or a preferment would be better vehicle for this flour. That said, I'm trying it in pizza dough. Stay tuned.

April 20, 2017

The rules for matzoh are simple and quick; 18 minutes from start to finish. Even with April temperatures popping up in New York to 80 degrees, this Passover I stayed within that criteria. I used ancient grains; emmer and some Italian 00 flour for this batch. While I mixed, rolled and docked within the norms, the one non-traditional approach was to use a cast iron pan. Here's what I got.

June 13, 2016

This past week I joined a Sullivan Street Bakery event. Hosted by Gustiamo, it was created to introduce flour from Filippo Drago. The event celebrated dough, and bread making. It also included lots of conversation amongst aficionados of good bread. Thanks to all, including James Lahey, Renato Flaborea, Valerio Gottage and the Gustiamo team!

March 22, 2015

In my last effort baking home toasted grano arso bread, I mixed barley and semola rimacinata. The results were less than stellar. This time I adjusted the formula, using a highly active levain, semola rimacinata, as well as a grano Miracolo from Molino Grassi, an ancient grain grown today in Parma, Italy. This batch had much better structure and overall deliciousness. The toasted grain strangely has a smoked smell and flavor when raw, and sports something like an ash that resembles a cigar! Once cooked or baked, the deep flavors mellow but are deep. One bite and you'll want another.